The Beautiful Art of War
by Mirakuru Romansu
Summary: Quatre tries to convince Dorothy peace is possible in the world...and Dorothy doesn't want to listen to the Winner wuss! A Quatre/Dorothy fic.


Title: The Beautiful Art of War  
  
Author: Mirakuru Romansu   
  
Keywords: Dorothy/Quatre Romance,Angst   
  
Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, but I did write the story.  
  
Notes: This is just a little fic in this big archive of Gundam   
Wing stories ... I'm working on the sequel to my other fic, "I'm  
Only Heero Yuy", but I really haven't had time to work on it   
properly with school and everything taking up my hours ...  
Okay, now this is a Dorothy/Quatre pairing story. If you hate  
Dorothy, Quatre, or the idea of the liking each other...  
Please find another story to read! ^.~ Thankies.   
[  
  
  
Title: The Beautiful Art of War  
By: Mirakuru Romansu   
  
  
  
"I object!" Dorothy Catalonia blazed, rising from her honored seat   
at the Earth Council meeting. She pounded her fist on the polished tabletop.  
"The notion that peace can be achieved through complete  
and utter submission to pacifism is a childish notion! Lady," She nodded  
to Relena Peacecraft at the head of the table, "And gentlemen, I refuse  
to vote yeah to pacifism. Also, I respectfully decline to attend  
any further meetings until the council has come to its senses."   
  
"As you wish, Miss Catalonia." Relena nodded in return as Dorothy  
strode from the council hall.   
  
Outside the Peacecraft Mansion, Dorothy gracefully stepped into her  
gleaming candy-apple red sports car. "Damn pacifists...Weak fools."   
Muttering, she buckled her seatbelt. The tires bit into the   
loose gravel of the driveway as she pressed the gas pedal. Her   
well-manicured fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly as   
she drove from the Peacecraft Mansion. Disillusioned fools,   
she shook her head in disgust. War was the ultimate competition of   
mortals which distinguished the weak from the strong. Peace meant  
strong people would be considered *equals* to weak people.   
  
"Never." Dorothy promised herself, unconsciously speeding faster  
down the winding road. In her angered daze, she almost didn't see  
the navy and silver BMW in time to avoid a collision. Heart pounding,   
Dorothy jerked the steering wheel sideways and smelled burnt rubber  
as her tires scorched skid marks on the stark gray pavement. The  
BMW shrieked to a halt while Dorothy's small sports car plunged into   
a roadside ditch speckled with buttercups.  
  
Unharmed, Dorothy slumped in her seat. She took several calming  
breaths, allowing the long curtain of her hair to cover her paled   
face.   
  
"Ms...Are you injured? Oh dear... Ms!?" Half dead with panic, Quatre  
tapped on the driver's side window. "Miss Dorothy?" Shock pinched  
his cheeks a brighter shade of distressed pink. Inside the car,   
Dorothy made an annoyed gurgling sound in the back of her throat.  
Quatre Raberba Winner was the 22 year old billionaire who owned  
virtually all of the L4 and L1 space colonies. The strikingly handsome  
young gentleman was a prime public supporter for peace and non-aggression  
amongst Earth and the Colonies. Off all people she could have   
wrecked into, fate chose the Winner wuss...   
  
Ignoring him, Dorothy snapped free from the seatbelt buckle and   
opened the door with a kick from a high-heeled, tawny sandal.   
  
"Miss Dorothy... Are you all right? I think you might be in shock."  
His voice was soothing like windchimes, but Dorothy wasn't in a mood  
for friendliness. She snatched her cellular phone from her shoulder  
bag and dialed her chauffer before turning to Quatre. "I'm   
sorry. Please allow me to drive you to the Peacecraft Mansion..."  
  
"I'm fine. If anyone is in shock, it should be you. I could have  
killed you, Ambassador Winner, and I apologize... My chauffer is   
coming in a few minutes. There is no need for you to drive me   
anywhere...However, it is considerate of you to ask."  
  
"Then please wait with me in my car. You should sit down,   
Miss Dorothy. I refuse to leave you alone on the side of the road."  
He urged with mannered aplomb.   
  
"Thank you." Dorothy found herself seated beside Quatre in the   
comfortable leather-interior of the BMW. Melodic chords of an upbeat  
violin concerto poured from the speakers, creating a relaxing shell of   
an atmosphere. Dorothy fought the urge to close her eyes and   
sleep. She was like a child who exhausted every spark of a raging   
temper tantrum.   
  
---  
  
"Good morning, Miss Relena. Was the council meeting a success?"  
Quatre casually sipped honeyed milk tea from a pearl-colored china cup.  
"I apologize for my delay. There was a strike at one of the textile  
factories, and I had...car troubles."   
  
The meething was a disaster. Dorothy Catalonia and several other  
officials believe peace cannot be achieved through pacifism. Their  
arguements are shaking the trust in the Peacecraft name and the   
United Earth Alliance." Relena replied solemnly, resting her hands in   
her lap.   
  
"Miss Dorothy?"  
  
"Yes, she is a powerful woman. Since her father's death three   
years ago, she inhertied millions of dollars and took his place as  
Earth's Chief National Advisor... It's common knowledge...   
Quatre, it seems that we--barely adults ourselves--are responsible  
for the future of the world. We must find a peaceful soloution to   
our problems." She stated quietly.   
  
"How can I help? Help more, that is... What can *I* do?"   
carrying the world's woes in his sympathetic voice, Quatre edged forward in   
his chair.   
  
"Invite Dorothy to stay at the Winner Mansion on the L4 Colony.  
Show her how pacifism is helping mankind, not hurting it. Please,   
Quatre. I would see to the matter personally; however, the Alliance  
is accepting nominees for the election of a new District Chairperson  
and I must be present to oversee the ordeal..." She smiled apologetically,   
implying the formality of the event.  
  
"Yes, Miss Relena." Quatre nodded. "I'd be honored."  
  
"Thank you! The invitation will be sent by messenger tomorrow  
morning." Relena bid Quatre goodbye as she walked him from the   
personal sitting room to her office.   
  
"I hope Quatre can convince Dorothy to agree to pacifism, or   
at least to have her consider it." Relena took in an unsteady breath.  
  
"Isn't it kinda like sending a marshmallow to fight a fire?  
I don't think Kitty has a *clue* who and what he is dealing with   
here." Duo stretched his arms lazily over his head and yawned.   
"He'll get toasted for sure!"  
  
"Just like you to make food metaphors, Maxwell." Wufei remarked  
sarcastically.   
  
"Quatre won't fail, he doesn't know how." Heero replied   
bluntly. "Mission accepted..."  
  
---  
  
Dorothy's penthouse apartment was a stress-free enviroment to   
concentrate and focus on the taxing amount of work which needed to be completed.   
No one would bother her. She owned the entire appartment building and   
was the only tenant. She kicked off her high-heeled burgundy sandals   
and hung her shoulder bag on the ivory coat rack.   
  
Dorothy grudginly accepted the fact that she would never be taller  
than her present 5 feet. She wore high-heeled shoes to make heself appear  
taller, but it was in vain. Ignorant people labeled Dorothy as "weak"   
because they judged her based on her slight stature and fragile appearance.  
In truth, Dorothy was a champion fencer, an accomplished horsewoman,   
a brilliant strategist, and a sharp businesswoman. Beneath her  
elfin beauty a darker, manipulative side was kept hidden from   
sight. She sat--legs crossed--on the sofa, sifting through a pile of   
memo notes and odd pieces of mail stacked on the livingroom coffee   
table.   
  
"What is this?" Opening the gold embossed envelope,   
Dorothy discovered it was an invitation. "A diplomatic visit to   
the famous Winner Mansion... On the L4 Colony... Heh, what luck."   
Dorothy picked up the phone and rang her secretary at the office.   
"Russo, accept the Winner invitation."  
  
"Be sure to bring a hat and suntan lotion, Miss Catalonia.   
The desert sun can be brutal." Russo, the faithful assistant  
warned.   
  
"I've been known to be harsh myself." Dorothy replied, dry humor  
in her voice.   
  
---  
  
Carefully descending the slim staircase from the plane to   
the welcoming crowd of two people below, Dorothy held her wide-brimmed  
hat in place from the wind.   
  
"Madame Advisor, it is an honor and a pleasure to meet you,   
and and welcome you to the L4 Colony." A giant of a man firmly shook  
her hand. "I'm Rashid Kurama, leader of the Maganacs. Our duty is   
to protect the colony and the Winner family." The darkly bearded Rashid  
grinned warmly.   
  
"For the sake of our sanity and your comfort, the press has no  
knowledge of this visit, Miss Dorothy." Clad in a crisp black   
shirt, khaki pants, and Italian loafers, Quatre presented a boquet of  
dusk pink roses to Dorothy. She realized he stood about six feet tall.  
*The bigger they are, the harder they fall* she told herself.   
Dorothy couldn't suppress a bemused quirk of her lips which   
blossomed into a full smile.   
  
"They are lovely, Ambassador Winner." A sweet fragrance tickled  
her sense of smell as she held the beautiful boquet in her arms.   
  
"They are desert roses called Quatrine's Blush." Quatre explained  
dutifully when he and Dorothy were situated in the snow-colored  
Winner limosine.   
  
"Quatrine? Wasn't that your mother's name?" Dorothy blinked,   
removing her mask-like sunglasses.   
  
"Yes...My father named the roses after my mother. They are   
a sturdy little flower yet delicate. An interesting combination."  
He chuckled politely.  
  
"My kind of flower." Dorothy quipped lightly, absorbing the golden  
world outside the tinted windows. This was the little prince's home  
turf, here he was at his best. Against her secretary's suggestion,  
Dorothy came to the desert alone. No pompus parade of cabinet members,   
assistants, or staff followed her. She was fighting the enemy without  
her army, but she could handle the situation by herself. She expected  
Quatre to try to sway her vote toward pacifism...He *wasn't* going to   
succeed.  
  
The Winner Mansion was the type of homestead written romantically  
into fairy tales. The main building, made of glass-smooth marble, was surrounded  
bt an oasis of flower gardens, decorative fountains, and a luxuriosly large  
swimming pool. The arhitecture was a relfection of the castle-mansions  
found in Quatre's native country of Arabia.   
  
Dorothy accepted Quatre's hand as she stepped from the limo  
onto a walkway composed of indigo, violet, yellow, and coral   
ceramic tiles.   
  
"Welcome to my home." Quatre motioned with a sweep of his   
hand. Dorothy smiled mechanically.  
  
---  
  
"Tea, Miss Dorothy?" Quatre offered, taking a silver teapot  
from the tray Abdul rolled into the cosy sunroom.   
  
"No thank you, coffee please." Dorothy replied, placing two   
scones on a small china plate as Quatre poured her a steaming cup of  
rich coffee. "Ambassador Winner... I'll get to the point. What do you   
have planned for this visit? What are your intentions?" She asked   
bluntly.   
  
"To take you on a tour of the colony this afternoon." Quatre  
replied mysertiously.   
  
---  
  
A shy afternoon sun warmed the blindingly clear blue horizon.   
Dorothy breathed in a fresh lungful of clean air. She had changed  
clothes and was now attractively dressed in a jade cotton calf-length   
skirt with a slightly ruffled hem, a white sleeveless top, and beige  
high-heeled sandals. Her golden hair was gathered at the back of her   
neck in a simple ponytail. Quatre, walking behind her, commented on   
the scene infront of them.  
  
"Quadrant 2 was the hardest hit by a recent OZ attack... The   
colony refused to sign an alliance charter which would have given   
L4 immunity from further OZ attacks and bind us to OZ's iron-fisted  
command. I don't submit to bullying tactics." Quatre stated plainly.   
  
"Yes, dear cousin Treize isn't known for any type of approach   
other than extravagent. He also believes pacifism is a foolish  
notion. I guess the hunger foor power taints our veins." Dorothy  
replied, staring at the crumbled mass of stone and wood which once was  
a hospital. She pressed her hands against the rementants of a wall  
as if touching the force that caused the destruction. "Oh, the   
beautiful art of war, the beautifl art of war... Such a complex   
structure." She closed her eyes to savor the sensation.   
  
"War? Beautiful??? Men, women, and children DIED during that  
attack, Miss Dorothy!" Quatre's nostrils flared with barely composed  
anger and disbelief. "I can't comprehend what in the name of  
goodness is wonderful about humans killing each other over who   
claims the most land or who gets the most money." He scoffed, his heart  
felt the pain of every colonist and mecha pilot's death.   
  
"All games, Ambassador. To prove that you are better than  
your enemy. Some are satisfied to be the first chair violinist, while  
others have to lead the orchestra. " Dorothy hung her head in thought  
befrore meeting his eyes. "I was raised to be strong, to be a leader.  
Your value depends on how you face your demons--either locking horns or  
running away. If you fight and die you are stronger than someone who  
runs away and lives."   
  
"That's animalistic!" Quatre accused, blushing an outraged shade  
of pink. Dorothy leaned closer, blinking her cat-like sapphire eyes.  
She reached a hand and traced her fingers idly along the straight path   
of buttons on his shirt. "Beneath these designer clothes..." She   
emphasized, "Beneath your trained charm and gentlemanly manners... You  
are nothing but a primitive savage. Humans try to hide their animalistic  
tendancies, but they can't fight nature." She smiled smugly, amused by  
Quatre's sudden loss for words. She had her mouse by the tail.   
  
"The weak must be defended, not defeated. Humans may be glorified   
animals, but we have the capacity to reason. To feel emotions like  
love, kindness, compassion... You can only truly *live* if you open  
your heart to the world. All the power in the universe won't bring you   
love or make your life worth living." At his words, Dorothy paled.   
She was taken aback since he described her hidden pains.   
  
"Yes...All the power..." Dorothy replied, caught in a moment  
of weakness. "I apologize, Ambassador Winner, if my views offend you.   
My opinion of peace isn't as rosy as yours. Make no mistake, peace  
is the happily ever after ending we all are working for... However,   
as long as people such as Treize Kushranada are alive ther can be no   
peace. And there will always be some Treize Kushranada in the world."  
She shook her head. "So you have to fight to prove your worth and  
save yourself." Dorothy crossed her slim arms protectively. Quatre and   
Dorothy could only watch each other silently.   
  
"As I said before, Miss Dorothy. I don't submit to bullying  
tactics. If you could see the world through my eyes..." He gently   
touched her bare shoulder. "Then you could see how important pacifism   
is to the future, to the present ..."   
  
After the incident at the crumbled hospital, Dorothy remained  
quiet. She kept her fading temper burning at a low simmer. She did not  
speak until she and QUatre returned to the Winner Mansion as night   
began to fall on the colony.   
  
"Thank you for showing me the flip-side of conflict. I'll consider  
what you said." Dorothy said politely  
  
"Yes, Miss Dorothy. Good night." Quatre nodded tightly. He stalked   
off in direction of a rose garden, leaving Dorothy with a hollow sense of   
loss.  
  
---   
  
  
'This was the longest day of my life!" Dorothy laughed drily,brushing   
her freshly showered waist-length hair until it was tangle free. The  
cool, comfortable suite was exquisite. Obviously, Quatre wasn't  
stingy with his millions of dollars. Sand-colored carpethugged the   
floors, complimenting the sky blue wallpaper which decorated the walls.  
Priceless glassware and other ornaments were plaeced on the cherrywood  
beside table and dresser. The boquet of Quatrine's Blush roses rested in  
a tall crystal vase on the long mirrored vanity. Dorothy glanced   
at her relfection. Her eyes were hazy and her eyelids drooped   
sleepily. Yet she wasn't tired.   
  
Advesary plagued her for the last two years. It was difficult   
to break free into adulthood when chained to a world-renowned family name.  
Millions of dollars waited patiently in her savings account, inherited when  
her father's life was claimed by a fatal stroke. But what could she buy to   
fill painful grieving she carried in her heart? A pair of earrings   
couldn't replace the lack of love in her life, not matter how many  
karats the gold was.   
  
---  
  
Quatre raked hand through his silky hair. Convincing Dorothy  
was proving to be as impossible as squeezing blood from stones. For every  
point he made, she made a counterpoint. He stalked the wide pebble path  
like a madman searching for his sanity. What could he do? He stopped  
to scan the heavens. A luminous silver moon and millions of twinkling stars  
dotted the rich ebony sky. It appeared real...Quatre shook his head  
in faint sorrow. But the moon, the stars...were artificial. Even the   
weather on the colonies was a man-made simulation. Quatre sometimes forgot  
since he found the desert night enchantingly beautiful. It was a beauty  
worth saving. Why didn't Dorothy understand? Quatre wanted to shout, but  
the words wouldn't leave his tongue.   
  
---  
  
Dorothy paced the length of her spacious bedroom and wrapped a long  
black silk robe over her matching silk pajama suit. Unease tugged at her  
throat, choking her. What was wrong? Dorothy blinked rapidly, unable to think  
clearly. The room suddenly felt like a prision. The only image her mind  
was the heartbroken face of Quatre Raberba Winner. He had looked at her   
with a mixture of pity, compassion, and saddness. She felt...guilty...  
for causing him pain by explaining the wonder of war. Since  
when did she care for the wimpy brat? Her heart pounded in her ears.  
  
"This is crazy... I must be tired, that's all. How can spending one day   
with the peaceful prince of the desert make me unsure of myself and my  
ideals of war?" She agonized, talking outloud to herself. "Oh damn it  
all." Cursindg under her breath, Dorothy prowled from the room.   
  
The nightime air was an alixir which healedd her frazzled nerves.  
Dorothy walked leisurely along the path, the smooth pebbles pressed   
ticklishly against the soft soles of fancy slippers. She firlmy decided  
to leave L4 in the morning. She...like Quatre. Staying longer would   
only break her heart and her well-constructed image of cool uncaring   
would shatter.   
  
"Miss Dorothy?" A quiet voice asked hesitantly.   
  
"Hello." Dorothy replied. Quatre stepped from the dark shadowns  
of the path moonlight did not touch. They watched each other silently until  
Dorothy abruptly turned her hea in the direction of a cluster of Quatrine's   
Blush roses. The blooms held a glowing aura in the moonlight. "I'm leaving  
tomorrow morning. I have to return to *my* world. I'm an intruder here."  
Dorothy whispered softly but finally.   
  
"No!" Quatre said. " I don't want you to leave...so soon.   
Please!"   
  
"Quatre, your job here is done. I'm beginning to think peace may   
be possible...through some pacifism, but not entire pacifism."  
  
"Peace..." Quatre said, grimacing in sour disgust. "How can you   
bring yourself to say that word? I'm a fool for even considering that  
pacifism is the answer. You've shown me what a fool I am." Anger pricked  
his words. It was an inner self-hate which plagued him. Dorothy was  
compelled to argue, to deny his statement. But why? He was a butterfly  
snared in a web of her making. She trapped him! Dorothy knew she could  
easily crush his now-fragile hope in pacifism...Yet her heart would   
break if she did. She loved him. *Traitor* she accused mentally   
  
"You're upset and acting irrarionally. I have that affect on people."  
small smile lifted her lips. Hesitantly Dorothy placedher hand lightly  
over Quatre's wrist. "We both fight our battles...Though in different  
ways. You aren't the type of person to be pro-war... And I'm not  
completely anti-war. We're too set in our own opinions to change."  
She stated braely, her hand shaking slightly, "But for you, I'm willing  
to try." Her head bowed in graceful defeat. "You win, Ambassador.  
Dorothy straightened her back and lifted her chin. "Goodnight--"  
She turned to walk away dramatically, but a wonderfully wamr hand caught  
her elbow.   
  
"Miss Dorothy, please call me Quatre." The angelic blonde young  
man grinned down at Dorothy.   
  
"Then goodnight, Quatre." He bent his head forward to kiss her,   
but Dorothy tilted her head back, keeping Quatre still. "Only if you   
call me Dorothy." She smiled, meeting his soft lips in a kiss as tender  
as the finest grains of desert sand. A bud of hope blossomed in her  
heart. Maybe Quatre wasn't such a wimp afterall ...   
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
